Category Archives: education reform

CBS to make ‘Bad Teacher’ sitcom

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This blog post was written by Education Speaks editorial board member Steve King.

Full disclosure: I’m married to a teacher, work in the education field and come from a family of educators, so it’s safe to say I am a supporter of teachers and education, in general.

Last week, CBS announced that it has ordered ”Bad Teacher“, a new show set to be a feature in its primetime lineup.

According to CBS, “Bad Teacher”, based on a 2011 movie of the same name, stars Ari Graynor as “an always inappropriate, fearless and unapologetic former trophy wife who masquerades as a teacher in order to find a new man after her wealthy husband leaves her penniless.”

If you’re a teacher who has worked tirelessly on implementing Common Core Standards into your classroom this year – let that synopsis sink in for a second.

It’s been astonishing to me to watch the plight of the teaching profession – more specifically the hit their collective reputations have taken – over the last few years. Gone are the days that teachers were looked upon as champions of their students. They are now targets of education reformers, state leaders, fed-up taxpayers and evidently Hollywood.

Far be it from me to know what’s funny and what isn’t in Hollywood, but to take an institution like education and run it through mud simply shows how out of touch the show’s creators and executives truly are.

While this worthy endeavor to improve education around New York state has generally been well-received, the pressure that the teaching profession is facing in light of it has been unlike any other in recent memory. New mandates, including the Common Core Learning Standards, have changed the focus of how education is being delivered to students across the state. Couple that with the newly implemented teacher evaluation system (APPR) and you can begin to see how stressful this profession truly is.

I’m not saying the teaching profession should be off-limits when it comes to comedy. There are shows on television that make fun of all types of professions, from politicians to law enforcement. But given the media scrutiny that teachers are under today, the timing of this new show is interesting. The amount of work that teachers are taking on daily should not just be discarded for sake of a few cheap laughs.

Teachers are on-stage, five days a week for seven hours a day. And they don’t just get to unplug when the school day is over. No, then the work really starts. Lesson planning, curriculum mapping, test development and much more. Our nation’s teachers do some of the toughest and most critical work in this country on a daily basis.

So maybe you can understand why so many of them won’t be tuning in to “Bad Teacher” on CBS. It won’t be because they won’t find it funny. More than likely, it will be because they’ll be too busy to watch it.

 

Watch and Learn: Sir Kenneth Robinson says a real education should be balanced

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Earlier this month, TED Talks, the non-profit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, and PBS joined together to produce a one-hour program that brought together a diverse group of teachers and education advocates delivering talks on the theme of teaching and learning.

One of those speakers was Sir Kenneth Robinson, PhD, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources in education and in business. In his speech, Robinson outlined three principles that he believed were crucial for the human mind to flourish and how they are vital in education today. He also emphasized that for a child to receive a real education, it cannot be tilted too far one way from a curriculum standpoint, rather it needs to incorporate all elements and subjects. Check out the video below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

 

WNYT standardized testing Twitter chat recap

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Yesterday afternoon, WNYT’s Elaine Houston and Poestenkill Elementary School (Averill Park) principal, Peter Dewitt hosted a Twitter chat on standardized testing.

Education Speaks has covered this topic extensively since the beginning of the school year.

Many of the people who took part in the Twitter chat spoke up with concerns over how and when assessments are taking place, opting-out of the exams, the length of the exams, as well as whether or not Pearson, which has a has a five-year, $32 million contract with the Education Department should be writing the exams. Here are a few excerpts from the chat. For the full tweet-chat transcript, visit twitter.com and search #13statetesting.

What are some of your reactions to these tweets? Do you have an opinion over the current model of state assessments? Let us know in the comments below.

AFT president: Don’t link tests to evaluations…yet

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To get the transition to the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) right and realize their potential to prepare all students for college, career and life, American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten has called for a moratorium on the stakes associated with Common Core assessments until the standards are properly implemented and field-tested.

Weingarten said a moratorium is necessary on the consequences of high-stakes tests to allow for corrections, as needed, in aligning the standards, curriculum, teacher training, instruction and assessments.

This morning, Weidngarten delivered a speech where she made clear that if implemented properly and in partnership with educators, the new Common Core standards for math and English language arts can transform teaching and learning and provide all children with the problem-solving, critical-thinking and teamwork skills they need to compete in today’s changing world.

“When scores drop as sharply as they’re expected to, it will send an inexcusable message to parents: Your child is far from meeting the standards. And she needs to meet the standards to get into college,” she said. “But we don’t have a plan, and nobody’s accountable for getting her there. Except for the teacher, who hasn’t been trained. And you can just imagine how that teacher feels.”

Click here to read the transcript of Randi Weingarten’s speech.

#NYSchoolsInPeril message continues to carry

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Since late January, the #NYSchoolsInPeril message has really gained traction throughout the state of New York.

Earlier this week, 37 rural and low-wealth districts across the Wayne County and Finger Lakes region in Western New York continued to spread that message, gathering together at the Geneseo Central School District Auditorium to advocate for equitable school funding. The event was sponsored by the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership

Over 500 parents, students, faculty, administrators, community members, local village and town officials as well as local legislators, learned how tax cuts are impacting their schools and learned what voters can do to help change the school tax cap.

Dr. Rick Timbs of the Statewide School Finance Consortium was the featured speaker again, discussing the importance of eliminating the GEA, providing adequate and equitable aid to education, and providing a meaningful measure of mandate relief to school districts.

Local administrators spoke of the devastating effect these cuts are having upon each of their school districts, while students also took to the stage, explaining why they feel the best chances of them getting a good education may have already passed them by.

This is third such event to take place since January. On January 31 in East Greenbush, thousands turned out to learn about equitable school funding, and on February 11 at Niskayuna High School, those same individuals came out to learn how to become better advocates for their schools. You can learn how to be a better advocate for your school by visiting our advocacy page here.

Click on the links below for full media coverage of the event.

Albany Times Union: Schools lose out on $33M

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An eye-raising article from yesterday’s Albany Times Union calls into question just how much money is actually being distributed through Governor Cuomo’s competitive grant program.

According to the article, only $17 million out of a possible $50 million in grant money was awarded to school districts this past year. Out of approximately 700 school districts in the New York, 38 applied for management efficiency grants, and 16 received a total of $7.1 million in grants. The school performance grant drew 74 applicants, but only $10.2 million was handed out to 23 districts, leaving some unsuccessful applicants wondering about New York’s commitment to reform.

In his 2011 State of the State address, when Gov. Cuomo introduced the competitive grant program, he cited the success competiton has had at the federal level.

“They’re doing it now in the area of education where they run (grant) competitions, and for example, when they fund a state government, if the state government wants to qualify for the federal money they have to win the competition. We know in New York how effective those competitions were in making the state government actually move and pass a piece of legislation authorizing charter schools so we could qualify for the Race to the Top money. Competition works….If there is a school district that does stellar work, let them compete, let them be rewarded and let them be emulated….Run those two competitions and actually incentive performance and change the behavior through the funding mechanism.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo
State of the State Address, January 5, 2011

Michelle Rhee appears on The Daily Show

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Earlier this week, former Washington D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee stopped by The Daily Show with John Stewart for a lengthy discussion on education reform in the United States.

Stewart and Rhee discussed many topics, including the impact of teacher evaluations, and how many teachers feel that the evaluations are too reliant upon test scores.

In one of the highlights of the interview, Stewart spoke of how demoralized teachers are today, asking Rhee: “Are we hanging them (teachers) out to dry, coming in every three years and saying here’s the new reform, you are going to teach that, and if you don’t increase your test scores you’re fired. And then two years later come back and say, it’s not that test, it’s this test…” Stewart compared this situation to a football team who keeps getting a new offensive coordinator ever year, saying that it is very difficult to be inspired that way.

Rhee acknowledged the frustration of teachers, but emphasized that these evaluations and expectations have to be clear, so teachers feel comfortable with them.

What are your thoughts on the interview? Check it out below.

What are you doing tonight??

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What are you doing tonight? Will you be joining educational leaders, district representatives and community members at Columbia High School in East Greenbush, NY to learn more about the looming fiscal crisis facing all public schools? If not, you should be!

Educational leaders, like North Colonie Superintendent D. Joseph Corr, hope that the forum will serve as a springboard to inform and energize influential stakeholder teams from 47 school districts served by Questar III and Capital Region BOCES, and have a ripple effect of catalyzing grassroots advocacy in communities all around New York state.

The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Columbia High School, East Greenbush. It’s not too late to join your district’s team. If you’d like to attend the event, please your district’s main office and ask to be added to the list.

If you can’t make it in person, follow along from home! Education Speaks will be broadcasting the forum live on our blog, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event will also be live-tweeted by Education Speaks editorial board members. If you’re on Twitter, follow @edspeaksny and #NYSchoolsInPeril to get the live scoop. We’ll also be posting content to our Facebook page throughout the night. You can Like Us on Facebook here!

Regional advocacy forum on Jan. 31 to include stakesholders from 47 districts around Capital Region

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With another year of significant state revenue reductions looming for New York State’s public school districts in 2013-14 and more difficult educational decisions to be made, school district stakeholders are participating in an important event this month to help draw region-wide attention to the fiscal crisis facing all public schools.

District leaders, educators, parents and community members from 47 area school districts are joining together on Thursday, January 31, (snow date is February 7) for a forum entitled, “Your Public Schools in Fiscal Peril – Running Out of Time & Options.” The event, to be held at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Columbia High School, East Greenbush, will illustrate the magnitude of the crisis collectively facing all schools unless significant action is taken during the 2013 New York State legislative session.

Joining Forces
The purpose of joining together as one on January 31 is to:

  • Draw regional attention to the looming fiscal crisis facing all public schools and warn of another round of unpopular to untenable school budget cuts forecast for 2013-14.
  • Help elected state representatives understand their responsibility to act with urgency to adequately and equitably fund public schools and deliver on the promise of mandate relief.
  • Inform and energize influential stakeholder teams in the 47 school districts served by Questar III and Capital Region BOCES, and catalyze grassroots advocacy in communities all around the region.

Headlining the forum is Dr. Rick Timbs, executive director of the Statewide School Finance Consortium, who will discuss the importance this legislative session of eliminating the GEA, providing adequate and equitable aid to education, and providing a meaningful measure of mandate relief to school districts.

Following Timbs’ presentation, leaders from three vastly different geographical school districts – suburban Guilderland (Superintendent Dr. Marie Wiles), Schenectady City (Superintendent Larry Spring) and rural Schodack (Superintendent Bob Horan), will offer their personal perspectives on how failure to act in Albany will continue to harmfully impact their students next school year, and for years to come.

The Stark Reality
The stark reality is that due to these economic circumstances, students who graduated in the Class of 2012 may have received the best education that most school districts will be able to offer for the foreseeable future. With the erosion of state aid across the state, staff has been cut and numerous student programs have been reduced and eliminated. Meaningful mandate relief from Albany, while promised by the governor, has not materialized.

As such, the 47 school districts joining forces on January 31, representing more than 112,000 students in two counties, have lost over $110 million in state funding this school year alone due to the state’s Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA).

What’s Next?
Following the January 31 forum, district stakeholders from across the region will be asked to take the next step and mobilize by the hundreds (perhaps thousands) by advocating for change with the elected leaders serving their communities. To help them in that process, the Niskayuna Central School District will host a second forum on the evening of Monday, February 11, to teach effective advocacy strategies and techniques. Joining them will be Robert N. Lowry, Jr., Deputy Director
for Advocacy Research & Communications, for the NYS Council of School Superintendents (NYSCSS).

Education Speaks will be covering the event on January 31. If you are not attending with your district, you can watch the event via live-stream from our blog, or follow along with us on Twitter, as we will be live-tweeting as well. More on this to come next week. We hope you stay with us.